Real lives

OneMinutesJr workshop in Montenegro - Day 5

Happy participants after the presentation of their videos in Budva, Montenegro.

On the final day of the OneMinutesJr workshop in Budva, Montenegro, work starts in the early morning with the editing of more than 10 films that still need to be finished. Also, despite the "Thursday, 12 noon deadline", two of the participants still need to do their filming. The weather has worsened again and it is windy and rainy, even thunderstorms are expected for today.

At 11 AM we have new hope when the storms calms down for half an hour. Nina (15) gathers the actors for her film about friendship and we race through the Old Town to find different locations for the filming. We are just finished when the rain starts again and we still have to film with Marinko...

We have an umbrella, the rain is not to heavy, so we try to get the last piece of the puzzle sorted out. Marinko had his personal experiences with drugs when he was a bit younger. He is now undergoing an anti-drug therapy and wants to speak out against drugs with his film. The main thing is the text, so we "only" need a great location to film him for 60 seconds, which will be the "backdrop" for the story. There is a huge rock under a cliff near Mogren Beach and Marinko stands right on it. The cameraman circles around him and the background changes from cliff to stormy sea to cliff to stormy sea. Just as the last circle is almost done, a wave hits both Marinko and the cameraman and we all go back to the workshop venue soaking wet.

Fast forward: 9.30 PM, the evening of the last day of the workshop. We are running a bit late, but it was literally swimming upstream today and we still go the job done. 20 films are ready, lights out, projector on!

The workshop participants are enjoying themselves and cheer enthusiastically for every single film. Noala Skinner, the UNICEF Representative in Montenegro, has joined the group for the final presentation and she sums up her feelings after seeing the 20 films: "What we have seen right now is nothing short of a miracle. To produce 20 films of this quality and with this content is stunning. You are the future of this country and you have demonstrated us, the UN, all the issues that we need to target in the near future."

The films will be shown at a special event to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the CRC in Podgorica on 20 November, 2009. They will also be online soon on the project website and on several UNICEF websites.

The Convention’s newest member: Promoting child rights in the Republic of Montenegro

"Democracies are measured by their ability to offer all citizens an equal chance to participate in social, economic, political, and cultural life. They assume a special responsibility to provide for the well-being of their youth.

In the short years since its emergence as a democratic country, the Republic of Montenegro has recognized this and continues to establish policies and programmes that provide for the empowerment and development of children."